Bitcoin Dice

For most of the industry’s history, online gambling has focused on a lot of very traditional games. There are Internet based casinos, which spread slots, blackjack, and other games you’re probably familiar with if you’ve ever been in a brick-or-mortar gaming resort. Poker rooms stick to poker, and sports betting sites – well, they let you bet on sports. In general, if you could find it in the real world, Internet companies were happy to bring it to you over the web. But other than some interesting variations on existing games, they generally stick to the basic categories we’re used to.

However, the introduction of Bitcoin gambling sites changed this. While there are now many casino sites that utilize the cryptocurrency as a part of their operations, this wasn’t always the case. People still wanted to gamble using BTC, though, and even if major gaming operators weren’t exactly chomping at the bit (no pun intended) to service them at the time, there were enterprising individuals and groups that had the knowhow to set up simpler operations.

That was the genesis of Bitcoin dice sites. These sites offer simple, random dice-based games that can be played completely in BTC with instant payouts. And while more complex operations have shown up over time, these games still persist and remain popular to this day. There are a number of reasons why this is the case: not only is simplicity a virtue for many players, but the games tend to offer very low house edges, fast action, and provably fair gameplay, all of which make them a viable alternative to more traditional gambling avenues.

Rolling for Fun and Profit

While Bitcoin dice games are very simple – at least on the surface – there is still quite a bit of variation between them. There are a number of options out there, each of which offers a slightly different take on the core concept.

If you want something that has some grounding in familiar gaming territory, you might want a game that is based on the use of actual (simulated) dice, like the games found at PocketDice.io. This site offers players the chance to choose any number between 2 and 12, then bet on the next roll of two standard six-sided dice being either over or under that total.

Of course, the number you choose and which side you take will have an impact on how much you stand to win. Bet that your dice will roll under 10, for instance, and you’ll win only 18 cents on a $1 bet if you’re correct. Take the riskier side and say that it will come in at over 10, however, and you can win $10.80 for every dollar you wagered.

Like many games of this type, the house edges are rather small: typically under 2% at PocketDice. There’s also the option to play a simple double-up gamble game after any win, which offers perfectly fair 50/50 odds. There are also high maximum bets available: depending on the potential payout of your bet, you could bet as much as 100 BTC on a given roll.

Top Bitcoin Dice Sites

Other sites drop the pretense and simply offer up a bare bones gambling game that allow you to set your own odds and bet in whatever way you like – all with just a tiny advantage for the site to make money off of. Most of these games generate a random number, and if you’ve bet on the right side of the wager when it resolves.

Here’s an example of how it might work. A game might be set up to select a random whole number somewhere between 1 and 100. You’ll be able to set up a bet size of your choosing, as well as choosing the target number for the next round. That number will determine the odds on either side of the bet. Pick something around 50, and you’ll be able to take somewhere around an even money bet on either high or low; take a number near the extremes, and you can have either a very safe roll that won’t pay out much, or a very risky one that promises big rewards.

Once you’ve chosen your bet, you can trigger the next roll, and the random number generator will go to work. After a few seconds or less, the results will be displayed, and you’ll know if you’ve won or lost. After that, you move on to your next bet. Many of these games offer even lower house edges than the more traditional dice variants; in fact, we know of at least one that takes just a 0.1% advantage, which is better than you’d get on just about anything in a casino, with the possible exception of some of the very best video poker machines. In this case, however, you won’t need to memorize any complex strategies in order to get those great odds.

Craps and Other Games

Since we’re talking about dice-based games, it’s important to note that there are some more complex options out there. An increasing number of full casino websites utilize Bitcoin either as a payment method or as the main method of playing all of their games. With that comes access to some other BTC dice games, though these will be more familiar to players who have are familiar with the gaming industry.

The most popular of these is undoubtedly craps. While this game may look incredibly complex, the most basic bets are hardly more difficult to understand that the options we discussed above. There are a lot of extra options that add more depth and variety to the gameplay, but understanding only the pass and “don’t pass” bets is enough for you to start playing – and as an added bonus, these are the wagers that offer some of the best odds on the casino floor.

If you’ve ever been to an Asian gaming section at a resort, then you may also know about the game sic bo. This classic offering features action that is very similar to roulette, only with dice determining the results rather than a wheel. You can bet on the total number of all three dice being rolled, the composition of them, and many other facets of each round. Like roulette, sic bo does make you pay a little bit more in the way of a higher house edge in exchange for that simplicity, but the better bets are still in line with the odds of a typical table game.

What Does Provably Fair Mean?

Going back to the true “Bitcoin dice” sites again, there are a few things you’ll notice when you play on them. One of the most prominent is the claim that their games are “provably fair,” or some other variation on that phrase. It sounds nice, but every site claims that their games are fair – and few have ever given anyone any reason to think that they weren’t. So what does this proclamation mean?

Basically, it provides a method for you to check on the methodology used to reach the result in your game. First, you’ll be presented with the server seed hash before you play. The outcome of each bet is determined by a combination of a server seed and a client seed, which can either be generated on your behalf or manually inputted.

After each roll is completed, you’ll be given the original server seed as well. With that information, you can then simulate the results, verifying for yourself that the pseudorandom number generator was working fairly. In some cases, you’ll even be able to see the exact programming that goes into the process, so that you can recreate the entire game from start to finish. While this functionality isn’t available at all Bitcoin dice sites, it’s a great bonus when it’s available: there’s no better way to feel certain that you’re getting a fair deal than by getting hard proof delivered to you on every wager you make.

Why Gamble With Bitcoin?

If you’ve never tried using a cryptocurrency before, you may have a lot of questions as to why you’d want to use Bitcoin at gambling sites. It’s a valid question, since for many people, just getting some BTC to use is a hurdle that might feel like more trouble than it’s worth. But currencies like these come with a number of benefits that make them attractive to gamblers worldwide.

First, there’s the fact that Bitcoin transactions are perfect for those who can’t – or simply do not want to – rely on more traditional banking methods for gambling purposes. This could mean that you do not have a credit card that can be accepted for Internet gaming, or that you have concerns over sharing your bank account information with online sites.

Whatever the case, you never have to worry about such issues with Bitcoin. When you first open a wallet – the “address” from which you send and receive BTC – you’ll receive a private address that you can spend money from, as well as a public one that can receive funds from others. That’s it: there are no credit checks or requirements to link a funding source to your account. Setting up a wallet is a snap, too: there are numerous ways to do so if you’re technically inclined or interested in learning more about the digital currency, and many websites devoted to providing users with online wallets with easy setup processes.

Another great advantage is the fact that this process can be rather anonymous if you want it to be. There is no central authority that oversees Bitcoin, and nobody will check on who you are when you open a wallet. That means that you don’t need to associate your wallet with your name or identity unless you want to. Sure, if you constantly use the same address to make payments, some people might know that it belongs to you, but it is still much more anonymous than the use of a credit card. And if you want true anonymity, there are methods available for further masking your spending.

Bitcoin can also be a great solution for both operators and players in grey markets, which helps explain why sites that specialize in the currency have become so popular. With no real regulation, it’s hard for governments to stop the spread of BTC, and laws that attempt to stop financial institutions from processing Internet gaming transactions rarely have an impact on the flow of the currency as a result.

That doesn’t mean that every Bitcoin casino is willing to let players from every country wager real money. At some sites, this is only one of many deposit methods, included just to make things more convenient for players. Still others stay out of some countries to reduce the chance that government action will be taken against them. Nonetheless, utilizing BTC generally allows sites to access more markets than they otherwise would be able to, while also letting more people get into the games than ever before.

Roll and Win

There’s not a whole lot more that can be said about Bitcoin dice sites: they really do tend to be about as simple as we’ve outlined here. For the uninitiated, the hardest part will be getting into the currency itself; setting up a wallet can seem a bit intimidating at first, but doing so and buying some BTC using the currency of your choice is ultimately a snap.

If you’re not sure if dice sites are for you, it’s easy to find out. All of the leading operators provide free-to-play “practice” versions of their games for you to try. These games are typically identical to those that are being played for real money; often, there isn’t even a separate free play interface, with the only difference being that the bet size is set to zero to avoid any money from being exchanged. If you want to try playing for real, many sites also offer Bitcoin faucets: a longstanding tradition on websites about the cryptocurrency in which users can get a miniscule amount of BTC for free.

Since you can try it for free, there’s really no reason not to give Bitcoin dice at least a quick try. For many players, these games may be just a little too simple: there’s no strategy, no real gameplay to speak of, and no atmosphere or window dressing to make this feel more like a game than just a straight, no frills betting experience.

On the other hand, we’re pretty sure that there are a lot of players that are looking for exactly that: a simple way to try and bet some cash without any sort of glitz or glamour. It’s hard to beat the odds you’ll find at these sites, and for many players, that’s by far the most important aspect of the games they play. It’s an especially calculating frame of mind that may just be perfect for the cryptocurrency world, a sector that has attracted plenty of logical thinkers who value results above all else.

Given these benefits, there’s very little reason why you shouldn’t try a Bitcoin dice site. Sure, it may turn out that the games just aren’t interesting enough for you, but with so many ways to play for free, there’s absolutely no risk in trying – something that we can rarely say when it comes to casinos.